Technical Panda 100HP drivers seat bar repair

[Cian]

This has to have been asked before, but neither the forum search or Google is finding anything useful; and I'm not on here enough to remember seeing it

My 08 Panda 100HP has an NCT (MOT) fail for that well known problem with the support bar in the drivers seat wearing through. It has actually passed it twice with the damage, but the tester today had other ideas.

He recommended just taping it over, which I'll do for a visual retest (also need a tyre, which is ordered); but I'd prefer to get it properly fixed

Are there replacement seat fabrics still available or an aftermarket option if not? Or should I try find a trimmer to just re-do the main bit of the seat in a plain black (after also putting new padding on the lumbar bar...) and lose the embossing?

The only 100HP I've known of being broken in Ireland also had a torn seat in the same place so that option was cut off - there are only about 30 of them here.

 

[AILURUS LAPIS]

Don't know if this will help but I recently swapped my Panda front seats and backrests over,
See here:-

Fiat Panda Mk 3 2009 Front seat and backrest swap side to side.

How to swap over the seat and backrest on the front seats of a Panda Mk III 2009 with photos.

www.fiatforum.com

Thanks, Ailurus Lapis

 

[Centrino]

This is an interesting question, I'd be keen to know if replacement fabric is available.

Butchering a 2nd hand seat is an option, but finding one without much wear might be difficult.

Would you say the tests are much stricter there?

 

[Cian]

Third party replacement fabrics are usually what I see for other vehicles that have known problems (bad bolsters mainly), but there just aren't enough 100HPs for anyone to bother.

I believe the test is stricter (however, we do it a lot less at the start - at 4, 6, 8, 10 years and only then annually); plus all the test centres are run by one contractor so there's much less possibility of either an 'easy' tester; or a garage finding fake faults to charge you for them.

Northern Ireland does the UK MOT, but with a single centre operator, wonder if there's any stats on fail rates!

 

[Centrino]

Third party replacement fabrics are usually what I see for other vehicles that have known problems (bad bolsters mainly), but there just aren't enough 100HPs for anyone to bother.

I believe the test is stricter (however, we do it a lot less at the start - at 4, 6, 8, 10 years and only then annually); plus all the test centres are run by one contractor so there's much less possibility of either an 'easy' tester; or a garage finding fake faults to charge you for them.

Northern Ireland does the UK MOT, but with a single centre operator, wonder if there's any stats on fail rates!

Keep us posted on the seats - my seats are okay for now, but I'm looking out for spares to rob the foam and fabric from in the future.

On one of the Facebook groups I'm in there's a 100hp that was retrimmed in leather. I think that's a nice idea but for me, doesn't suit the look of this budget car. I'd rather go for as similar fabric as possible if I were to retrim.

My steering wheel has been retrimmed though, and of course the gearstick boot replaced!

 

[DaveMcT]

You can probably fit passenger seat parts but they won't be a straight swap.